Ewa Boryczka (p), Aleksandra Nowakowska

Soushi Suzuki

In revitalization processes, many cities utilize local resources, such as cultural heritage (both tangible and intangible). Cultural values constitute a form of territorial capital and developmental resources, which not only local residents but also tourists can experience and enjoy. Culture and heritage are natural domains of human activity, and better embedding of society in their values has the potential to equip society with competencies and skills for creative problem-solving. Cultural heritage positively influences the quality of life by fostering social bonds, strengthening the sense of local identity, and pride in the place of residence. Local patriotism and a sense of belonging contribute to satisfaction with the place of residence. Cultural heritage, particularly intangible heritage, engages the local community and reinforces revitalization processes. The aim of the conducted research was to:
• Identify types of intangible heritage and ways of utilizing them in revitalization processes.
• Identify entities involved in actions for the protection and use of intangible heritage in revitalization programs.
• Identify problems and challenges regarding the identification and use of intangible heritage in revitalization programs.
The study used the following methods: literature studies, desk research and web research. Cities in the Łódź Voivodeship that implement integrated development policies based on revitalization programs were selected for analysis. As part of the study, questionnaire interviews were conducted with representatives of local government units (representatives of authorities and representatives of administration responsible for cultural heritage) to identify problems and challenges regarding the utilization of intangible cultural heritage in revitalization processes.

Francesca Silvia Rota (p), Nicole Walch

Ewa Boryczka

The touristic exploitation of the local cultural heritage is a strategic resource for social cohesion and inclusive sustainable growth. At the same time, the cultural tourism industry tends to remain anchored to a definition of culture and cultural heritage that is inherently urban, whereas sustainable cultural tourism should be the target of any local community, included the rural and mountain ones. Natural parks and protected areas, as well as specific ecosystems like woodlands and wetlands, also can be proficiently valorized for the purposes of tourism growth and local development.
Consistent with these premises, the paper provides a general framework to conceptualize seasonality of mountain destinations and it consequences on local development. Also, the paper investigates the potential of cultural tourism as a promising means to contrast this seasonality. In doing that the paper moves from a broad definition of cultural heritage which comprehends cultural sites, historic buildings and infrastructures, monuments, festivals, rites, festivities, and other cultural events, as well as the natural assets and ecosystems that are constitutive of the local cultural landscape and the identity of the destination. Then, the case of study of the Susa Valley in Piedmont will be presented with a specific focus on: i. the planning and governance framework that supports the contrast to seasonal tourism, also via the valorization of the local cultural heritage; ii. the identification of the territorial and organizational factors that can help this action to be effective. For instance, lack of exceptionalism, poor information, and undersized services are frequently identified as major factors limiting cultural tourism in rural areas. However, another key factor is the accessibility of the destination to external and inner flows. Besides being spatially remote from the major urban poles, rural destinations also have bad inner accessibility.

Marco Alderighi (p), Consuelo Rubina Nava, Stefano Tedeschi

Francesca Silvia Rota

The paper analyzes the spatial distribution of economic activities in medium mountain areas. We extend the Hotelling model by incorporating two crucial characteristics of such territories: the presence of a sparse population and significant tourist flows. The theoretical findings indicate that both features significantly influence the location of firms:
a) Economic activities exhibit asymmetric distribution, with some situated near the center of the village and others closer to the borders;
b) A higher concentration of the population in the village center increases the likelihood of finding certain economic activities centrally located, although others may still remain on the periphery;
c) Increased tourist presence raises the probability of finding some economic activities located near the village center;
d) In situations of high competition, firms tend to relocate away from the center.
We gather data from the medium mountain area of the Aosta Valley, which we refer to as Bardland, sourced from the Bard Fortress. Econometric analysis validates the theoretical results. In a broader context, our analysis suggests a crucial policy implication: as tourism interacts with other economic activities (as explored in our analysis concerning location and profitability), the sustainability of tourism activities should be pursued with consideration for the overall economic system's sustainability.

Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp, Soushi Suzuki (p)

Marco Alderighi

Cultural and ecological heritage are critical factors for urban and regional regeneration, but need also to be re-positioned in the context of environment-benign development that is ideally characterized by a circular economy, zero ecological footprints and climate-neutral outcomes. Several heritage-led regions in Europe - often in rural areas – qualify for a new regenerative and actionable strategy in order to comply with the above-mentioned objectives. These regions are termed ‘cultural-ecological complexes’ (CECs). They were selected for a further pilot study of their transformative cultural tourism profile and potential, so as to lay the foundation for a balanced sustainable development and positive regenerative or circular transition of heritage-led regions. These seven pilot regions may be conceived of as decision-making units (DMUs) which share their actual experiences on cultural-ecological performance policy, in order to enhance their achievements at the interface of heritage-led and SDG-oriented development of the tourist sector. Each region comprises a set of ‘information agents’ in the form of visitors, residents, stakeholders, NGOs etc., who may be regarded as intra-regional ‘shadow-DMUs’ who provide crucial and sometimes decisive information and guidelines on the actual situation and on ways to proceed to transformative cultural tourism. This is a form of citizen-based co-creation. Information on the perceptions, preferences and involvement of information agents is collected through a systematically structured and consistently administered survey among hundreds of actors (visitors, residents, etc.) in all pilot regions. Our assessment analysis is based on a double-layer structure organized in a cascadic and interactive form with two layers: regions and information agents. The latter category can be systematically clustered in homogeneous groups characterized by their degree of involvement or interest in each of these cultural heritage regions (CECs). The statistical and quantitative tools employed in this study are multi-layer multivariate analysis and cascadic Data Envelopment Analysis. The findings show anchor points for an enhancement of the cultural-ecological performance for each of these CECs.